Strange Dreams, Steps Ahead
by The Irate Memer
Summary: (D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die/Life is Strange crossover.) The mementos were unorthodox. Memories of the past return within the forthcoming storm. Will the aloof detective and the young photographer be able to solve the mystery of Arcadia Bay? [25/7/15 Update]
1. Detective of the Past

**This is a crossover story of the game _Dark Dreams Don't Die _and the game _Life is Strange. _The story of this goes in tangent with the progression of _LiS, _while being set a bit after the events of _D4. _**

**If you are unfamiliar with _D4, _consider playing the game or watching an LP of the game. **

**I don't own anything.**

* * *

A town where it appeared the sunset had never left. Completely podunk and unremarkable in it's own right, just like the thousands of small towns that riddled the United States. It had it's ups and downs, and it's own unique quirk being the once thriving fishing scene and it's hallmark art school. Yes, Arcadia Bay was more or less the typical archetype of a Northwestern suburbia.

So then what had compelled David Young to even consider moving there?

The hustle and bustle of Boston, MA was more than enough for the detective to handle as he had lived there for a good majority of his life. After all, being a law 'enforcer' was more or less a huge chunk of his life that distilled itself into a routine of sort: wake up, debate on shaving, deciding on not to shave, groom other body parts, a shot of tequila to wake yourself up, stuff a wad of gum in your mouth and swear you'd quit the damn things, have a smoke and drive on off the the precinct. More or less the archetype of his day for a good few years up until the marriage with his wif-

_Stop thinking about it._

The brief reflection of his life and how it led up to him driving into Arcadia made the detective scrounge up some other unnecessary memories of his past. The loss of his loving wife came with years he had spent searching for a way to find the person who had seemingly vanished from the face of the earth responsible for her death. Years taken away from David meddling with the world, and in the end it was all for naught.

_You can't change the past, David._

A few minutes had passed on before David had finally passed the 'Welcome to Arcadia Bay' sign that symbolized his entry into the uneventful town. Far away from the memories of the past that plagued him. Far away from the only friends he really could rely on-even if they were the bizarre Amanda and Forrest. "Was it really better this way?" a thought from David sprited up into his head. Isolating the problem doesn't really fix it. The potential killer who ruined his life was still out there, and there was still the unexplained properties of his 'quirk'. Then again, David didn't come to Arcadia Bay to find answers.

_You just have to accept it._

David had came to get a new perspective on life.

* * *

The drive into town was quite longer than expected, what with the majority of the town being surrounded by forestry and the ocean. There was wildlife and the occasional sighting of a civilian hunting said wildlife. The fishermen and hunters came and went on their trucks towing their boats into port. Trace signals of the modern future then began to drone in with fancy sports cars driven by young and most likely stupid kids chattering on their phones. It's as if David had never really 'left' Boston-the vibe was more or less the same there despite the city aesthetic.

Time had passed on until David had pulled over into a gas station and parked his car in front of the tanks, as his tank was getting rather 'low' (it wasn't low, in fact it was half-full. David is just fickle of these things.) and he needed an excuse to go to the bathroom. Stepping out, David was met with another car-the very same sports car he had saw on the road, with the same obnoxious kids chattering and cursing up a storm on their phones. He didn't say anything as he didn't really want any trouble, so he had decided to head into the station booth.

David always seemed to have a very 'blank' expression when dealing with the monotonies of everyday life. He wasn't rude at all, but he always had an uncaring view on what went on. So you could imagine David being completely toned out of whatever the hell the store clerk (who couldn't be no more than nineteen) was saying to him. David had went into the store just to buy gas but once he had saw that they sold liquor as well, he grabbed the cheapest bottle of tequila he saw. As well as a bag of chips.

"Sir." The store clerk had began to the detective, "I need to see your I.D." This is what irked David the most about cashiers-they asked stupid questions instead of making worthwhile observations.

"Kid, do I look eighteen to you?" David had started off, a thick bostonian accent frontlining his words. "Cause if I do...well, it's good to know I still have youth on my side."

The clerk smiled at David's lame joke. "It's just store policy, we always card. Even the old guys. Pisses me off too."

"Should I tell yer boss that?" David joked again as he reached into his wallet for both cash and his I.D.

"N-No man!" The clerk blurted out defensively. The last thing he needed was another lost job. He took a brief glance at his I.D. before taking his cash and returning the appropriate change.

"Hah. Just a joke, kid." David had said reassuringly. "Look; keep the change. I'm in a rush anyway.

"Wait, you gave me a $100 bill a-" before the clerk could finish his sentence, David was already long gone. The entry bell of the store door was a signal of that.

* * *

As David walked back to his vehicle, he couldn't help but notice a couple of girls from behind his truck hurrying to scurry back into the sports car next to it. The girl in the brown sweater piece with the short, brown hair immediately switched her eyesight back to her phone, feigning a look of ignorance to whatever she had done to the man's car while the other, dark haired girl tried her damnedest to keep her cool.

"Oh good." David thought to himself. "Guess I /have/ to talk to them." He threw his bag of stuff in the passenger's seat of the car before swiveling to the gas pump to let his vehicle fill up. As that was going on, he had leaned against the driver's door on the opposite side-directly in front of the car with the suspicious teenage girls.

He stared at them with a look of displeasure. The dark haired girl occasionally shifting her vision to David while the blonde kept her cool.

"Hey, kid." David pointed at the blonde hair girl. "You know your friend's car has a flat in it, right? You should get that checked out." The blonde had smirked and sat aside her phone, looking back at David with seemingly innocent eyes and an 'annoyingly chipper tone.'

"Oh! Well, ah, I'll make sure to tell Nathan about his little issue. I'm not too knowledgeable about cars, sadly." Her response made David want to clench his fists and punch a window in, god was her voice unbearable.

"Doesn't take a mechanic to spot a flat, you know. Like it doesn't take a genius to spot marker on a back window." David gestured a thumb to his back window, now marked with in bright white markings with the phrase "GO BACK TO BOSTON."

"You girls like my license plate that much, eh?" David mused, blowing a bubble with the stale gum he chewed up. The dark haired girl began to shiver at the man's attentiveness, while the blonde shot her a glare before continuing with her faux kindness.

"Listen, I don't know how that got there. We don't even know you, sir, so why would we-" she was interrupted by the man pointing into the black haired girl's lap.

"She has a marker in her pocket. That's the thing about slim jeans-they tend to leave an imprint on the stuff in there." David retorted. Caught in her lies and the incompetence of her friend, the blonde huffed and stood out of the car, staring eye to eye with David despite the obvious height difference. When she spoke, her tone was obviously switched to something more venomous.

"Look. I'm /sorry/, I can't seem to control the actions of my friends. I can /assure/ you, that it'll never happen agai-." David drew his eyesight away from the girl, and reached into his pocket-revealing what looked to be a police badge. "Well, if that's the case, looks like she's under arrest for vandalism. Shame how these things work."

The darker haired girl's face flushed into white while the blonde stood there, flabbergasted. David began to walk over to the dark haired girl's door to 'escort' her out, but she immediately stood up and shouted, "WAIT. IT WAS VICTORIA'S IDEA, NOT MINE. I CAN'T GO TO JAIL, TAKE HER!"

The blonde, identified as 'Victoria' turned her head over to the panicking girl. "YOU BITCH. YOU THINK I'LL ACCEPT RATTING ME OUT, COURTNEY?"

Victoria and Courtney began to bicker and yell at one another, while David simply moved a smoke to his mouth to watch the event occur. At the same time, another young man with slicked back hair and an orange jacket began to walk back to his car, noticing the arguing girls and the unknown man staring and smoking.

"Ah...can I ask what the hell's going on?" The young man asked to David. David turned his head to him while the girls continued arguing, and whispered to the youth:

"I'm just fucking with them because they tagged my windshield. Let them argue, it's pretty funny." He ended the sentence with a snicker. The young man caught on to what he was saying and only smirked, seeing the two panic and lose their cool over the potential of being arrested.

"So, what, you new in town?" The young man, who David deduced to be 'Nathan' asked the detective. David explained. "Yeah, just moved in. Heading to the new house to move my stuff in, but as you can see-I made a small detour here. Then...this happened. Great kids that this Arcadia Bay has, y'know?"

The girls were still aruging by the time Nathan finished pumping his gas. What David noticed is that he spoke in the same faux interest/kindness that Victoria did. Some shitty kids here, but David played it off. "Look, here's some cash to clean your window up. Consider it a...welcome, you know? You seem to be alright. It's Nathan. Nathan Prescott."

David smirked and gave the kid a childish salute while he burned out the cigarette in his mouth. "David Young." He paused to accent the next statement loud enough for the girls to hear. "EX-Detective. I'm retired now." The girls had stopped their bickering immediately to face David, both red faced in confusion to see that they were tricked by the same man who they themselves tried to swindle.

"You idiots done whining to each other?" Nathan mused with a cocky grin. Before hopping into his car, he looked to David and grinned. "They won't fuck with you anymore, man. I can assure it. See ya!" With that, Nathan had pulled out of the gas station and drove out, the looming glare of Victoria staring in the soul of David.

If he were paying attention at all. He was still worried about that flat tire of his.

* * *

Within time, David had driven into a neighborhood-the very same neighborhood where he would most likely spend the rest of his life in if things worked out for him. David scouted around within his car to see a small house with a 'for sale' sign, adjacent to a couple of other already lived in homes.

"Must be the place," David spoke to himself as he began to pull into the driveway, "Huh. I was sure the online ad made this place look a lot bigger. Damned sneaky realtors." David had always hated dealing with people of the 'sales' trade, whether it be cashiers or realtors-they all had the same desire in the end: the money.

The house was what you'd expect from any other suburban home. A sizely garage to accompany it's pointed roofs, with untouched glass windows reflecting against the falling sun. A lawn kept in check by the realtor's contracted gardeners, with not a blade of grass touching the driveway concrete. Yes, the home's appearance seemed to duplicate against the others adjacent to it, though the difference regarding this one was that it seemed more 'new' in comparison to the other lived in ones. This place had been sitting here for a while. David being the 'new addition' didn't exactly help him blend in a way he would like to. (God forbid if he started talking to the locals so soon-he'd surely stick out even more with his rough accent.)

David stepped out of his car and leaned against the against the slightly dusted car door. Was this really it? Did his life really start here, right now? It was almost unreal. Did he have to get...a job?! Mingle with people, actually relate to their town and establish himself as one of their own? It felt so foreign and completely out of his comfort zone, when really all he wanted to do was to stop Amanda from destroying his window curtains, and enjoy dinner with Forrest-he never LIVED alone since the marriag-

_Stop thinking about it._

No, no. This was right. This is what had to be done. David Young Hennig, 'Arcadia Bay' resident and 'ex' detective. He enjoys 100% de Agave Tequila, and hated bubble gum. He also didn't care for airplanes or fine art.

"Okay, David!" He said to himself, "Let's make the best out of a moot thing!"

He said that pretty loud, which caught the attention of one young woman pulling into her driveway in the home across from david. She brought a smoke to her mouth before looking out of the window, completely puzzled at how LOUD this guy was.

"The hell is this weirdo?"

* * *

**Next chapters (if this is received well.) will slowly go into Episode 1's events, then Episode 2 and so on.) Both elements of D4's bizarre aesthetic and Life is Strange's homely atmosphere will mingle together well hopefully.**

**As David is an adult, you'll see him mingling more with the older cast of _LiS. _You'll also see some of David's quirk work out in time too.**

**Please, read and criticize. **


	2. I Should Live in Salt

**Surprised by the amount of positive reception I got from this. If it won't kill you, please have some sort of account that I can reach back and write responses to.**

**I want to thank my nice reviewers for giving me incentive to continue with this story. ...I mean ihaveothershitifyouwanttoreadit. You don't have too tho.**

**Anyway. Part 2. This is on Monday but still before the traditional LiS events. **

**Kindly review and criticize.**

* * *

"Don't_ let go!" The unfamiliar voice called out to David. It was hard to explain, but David felt as if he was hanging over something and were he to let go, it would be a bad thing for both himself and the one...no wait, two? Yeah, two people he was holding. The sounds of roaring winds and thrashing water began to overpower the two voices-both feminine and unfamiliar-that were pleading to David not to let go. David wasn't an olympian, but getting these two over to this ledge shouldn't have been an issue._

_But that's when the branch began to snap. David's worst premonition, and the two girls falling into the roaring void echoed the most prominently._

* * *

*RING! RING!*

The shrill buzz of David's alarm clock was soon met with the man's fist slamming unto the snooze button. It was early, about 6AM or so. The sun was just now starting to rise from it's opposite end grave while the moon's vision still held strong in the sky. He always woke up early since he started his investigations, but he was 'retired'. He shouldn't have to go through this hellish schedule, but he did it anyway. After all; he had to make the coffee for himself, and David was quite particular about his coffee.

David Young got up from his rather comfy air-mattress (today was the day he was going to furnish his damn place.), looking exhausted and sickly. The effects of this nightmare did more of a toll on his body than the three or four bottles of Tequila could ever do. His hair was matted over his face while it dripped in sweat, and his eyes were baggier than Forrest's summer jeans. He needed a shower to rid himself of this smell of alcohol, and fast. So, David began to stand up and reset his body with a bit of stretching of his legs and arms. The man was well built, as expected from any 'prime example' of a former police officer (nevermind the scars on his back.) but the age (he was in his early 30s.) was beginning to show. Before walking to the shower, David had adjusted the radio tuner on his clock so the room could light up with some music.

_Today..._

Thankfully the radio played louder than the sounds of the rushing shower current as David hopped into his bathroom to clean up. While he focused on the typical grooming structure, David began to ponder on the bizarre dream that seemed to ache more than the usual morning pains. Just what was going on in it? The dream itself was so vague and cryptic that he couldn't begin to decipher it. Obviously he could recall the sounds of winds and water, David deduced that it was something weather related. He also felt this sensation of...death, not unfamiliar to a man who's fought madmen and drug dealers in airplanes. Was he hanging from something? And those noises-sounded like screams? Who were the girls in his dreams?

_You were...far away..._

_"_Did this...have to do...with 'D'?" David thought for a brief moment before shrugging it off entirely. There's no reason to believe 'D' was involved in this odd premonition. That'd be like saying the Red Seeds Incident and the Real Blood were connected in a way - WHICH it wasn't, no matter how much Forrest wanted to press on with it. 'D' was gone. Long gone. He had to be done with 'D' and get on with his life.

Accept the past.

_And I..._

David stepped out of the shower, and his rejuvenated face was sadly covered by the thick fog on the mirror. He sighed, deciding to skip on the fine tuning of his shaving and instead go for the quick clean up. After brushing his teeth and 'christening' it with the quick Tequila sip, David had moved over to his wardrobe to fit on his typical work-shirt/tie/suspender combo. This time however, he decided to snap on the 'Arcadia Bay' pin he was given to by the cashier yesterday. He didn't notice it up until he actually got in the house and started drinking. "Maybe the kids here weren't so shitty." He murmured as he began to dry his hair out.

_Didn't ask you why._

Arcadia Bay was...typical. Typical townside podunk-ery, typical shitty upper middle class kids who wouldn't be caught dead with a gun but plenty of drugs, typical shitty internet services from no name ISPs, typical mediocre music like the song that was playing on the radio right now. Was this the life he wanted: a neverending cycle of 'nothing fucking happening?'

Yeah. Better than 'D' at least.

_What could I say...?_

David picked up his wallet, car keys and for some reason his revolver to sit in his car seat. Never know when you had to use it. He headed outside to his car and decided to drive to that diner he'd been hearing about. It was 8:04 AM-nearly TWO hours since he had gotten up. Well, looking good takes time.

_I was...far away._

* * *

As David arrived outside he was greeting with the vision across the street of a man around his age walking to his car in a rather angry demeanor. Oh boy, a reason NOT to get friendly with the locals. He turned around to lock his door but instead, David was greeted with some sort of 'missing sign.' He picked it up and neatly folded it into his pocket not getting the time to read it. Mostly because he didn't care enough to read it, as he was hungry. Still, he was irked enough to know that the people here would slather a newcomer's door with ads without even settling in.

David sat into the seat of his car, placing the revolver into his glove compartment. Before closing it, he had pulled out the cigarette carton that he had left in there yesterday. He could a use a smoke for whatever the hell was going to happen today. He couldn't shake off this...uncanny feeling of dread surrounding him. Not since the murder of his wife has he felt this way.

"It's just first day nervousness. Always remember, David." He began as he lit one of the cigarettes with his lighter. "Everyday is high school." After pulling out of the driveway, David began to drive to that diner he spotted on the way to his house. If he recalled, it was right across the street from that gas station.

He had to admit that early morning Arcadia was pretty damn beautiful. Like something out of a nature video, really. The wildlife roaming freely and even mingling with the not too busy roads (David had to stop for a couple of Does crossing the road. Neat.) was a sight to behold. He should invest in a camera-none of that cheap phone or disposable bullshit, but a real camera to really appreciate the quality of photography. A new hobby to add to his boring mantle. David, while thinking on the ideas, began to make a pretty decent pacing to the diner despite the vague memory he had of the place. "It was the place with the...whales right?" Dammit. David was never good with names. Hell he had forgotten the name of the kid he laughed at those girls with. He'll make a note to get a pad or something to keep these names in check.

* * *

"You new in town, fella?" The diner waitress/owner(?) had asked the ex-detective. David was staring blankly at the coffee on his counter. Why did she give him another coffee? Could she not smell the strong brand of generic black coffee that eminated from him? He couldn't have TWO Cups of coffee, what an idi-

"Huh? ...Oh. Yeah. I moved in yesterday." David spoke up, adjusting his tie while he continued. "David Young."

"Oh!" The waitress had brightened a bit, extending a hand to shake, "Well, this must be your first welcome from a native then! Call me Joyce, David." The waitress, Joyce had a sound of sincerity to her voice. Which was a good refresher to the blatant lying he was greeted with yesterday.

"Thank you. Ah, if it's not any trouble-could I get some water instead? I've already acquainted myself with a cup of coffee today." He asked rather meekly. Joyce nodded and was quick to replace his cup with a glass of water. "Take your time with the order, David." She requested of him, moving around to the other customers in the diner.

The place must've been around here for a while. Pictures of some of the regulars showed that they were much younger than the ones sitting in here now. The tables, while managed rather nicely showed it's signs of wear and tear. The bathroom was a different story, with the assorted graffiti decorating the stalls. David didn't know who a 'Kate Marsh' was, nor did he care. Hopefully he would forget the name sometime soon. As he mused, David looked through the menu to see what he was going to eat. "Nothing too out of the ordinary..." He murmured quietly, ultimately deciding to run with the Belgian Waffle for now.

He was trying to signal Joyce over to confirm his order, but it seemed as if she was much too occupied looking out the window. David turned around to see out the same window to see a young girl probably in her 20s, arguing with a man who was probably in his 30s. The argument judging by their facial expressions seemed to be rather intense. He then shot a glance to Joyce to see her own face to be tense as well. Either one of those people-likely the girl-has some sort of sentimental meaning to Joyce, David had deduced.

He was going to actually call her voice, but was soon stopped by a sharp pain in his head-directly where his head-scar was. Migraines? Now? What the hell was going on? = He hadn't used his 'quirk' in quite a long time, why would it start stirring now? Was that...were either of those two 'D'?

Thankfully the pain subsided by the time the two outside dispersed and the girl walked into the diner. She looked like she was muttering something like 'Fucking asshole...' before straightening up to see David - the same 'weirdo' yelling to himself outside yesterday - staring right down at her, holding two fingers to his scar in an attempt to alleviate the pain

"...So uh...so do you need something, dude?" The girl had asked. "You alright? Lookin' pretty pale there, weirdo."

David frowned up, moving his hands back to his lap to retort. "Weirdo? Do I know you, kid?"

"Okay, first of all; I'm nineteen, pal. I'm an adult, so if you say 'kid' to me again I'll slam your head to the ground." Tough kid. On the outside at least. "Secondly, I saw you across the street from my place moving in. New guy, right? Why the hell did you choose Fuckadia of all place-"

Joyce peered over to glare at the mouthy girl. "/Chloe./ I assume you met David, right?"

The girl, Chloe, seemed to scrunch her face up at the mention of the detective's name "Well, let's hope he isn't a total shithead like the grunt at home is."

"Chloe!" Joyce yelled.

"...I'm sitting right here." David (Young!) mentioned. "With a 'welcoming' atmosphere that kids your age have, no wonder this place seems empty at times." Chloe should've been angry at David calling her a kid again, but instead she popped a smirk. Soon, that smirk turned into a laugh.

"Holy shit, your accent! Where the hell are you from, New England?!" She croaked out in between her laughs.

"...Yeah. Boston." David continued rather blankfaced. "One second; m'am? Could I get the waffle, please?" Joyce, thankful that David wasn't put off by Chloe's assery smiled and went off to prepare cooking. With that, Chloe plopped a seat next to David, elbows on the corner and a certain 'waggle' in her movements. As if she was always dancing. Or high. Either or would work.

"Wow, you're serious?" Chloe asked, actually curious instead of abrasive. "All the way over on the east coast? Seriously; why here? Why Arcadia? There's like 'nothing' here.

"A friend of mine knew a guy here who was leaving his house, and I decided to buy it off of him." David continued, taking a sip of his water. "It was either this...or Washington. I don't care for Washington. Oregon's a good 'get away from the city' kind of name, so I went with it.

"Well, don't keep your shit unpacked for too long man because /SERIOUSLY/, place sucks here." Chloe retorted. "Yo, mom, I'll have what the new guy's grabbing. He'll cover me!" David didn't respond.

"See? The silence means he's cool with it!" She grinned, patting David's back as he drank his water.

"I like you already, David."

* * *

**After a wall of exposition, I finally got David to meet the key stars of SDSA. I hope I have enough 'vague foreshadowing' or whatever to keep you all satisfied. **

**The song used for the first part was 'About Today' by The National. **

**Kindly review and criticize.**


	3. Heron Blue

**Chapter 3 is here. Less exposition and a bit more plot-moving-forward like. David's already met and made a small acquaintanceship with Chloe. Please, review and criticize and I sincerely thank you all for the responses to Strange Dreams, Steps Ahead.**

* * *

A few moments had passed within the diner while the conversation between the aloof ex-detective David Young, and nineteen year old delinquent Chloe Price rolled on. Those moments only felt like seconds as the two passed the time while David did a retelling of his arrival to Arcadia Bay. While he gave her the descriptions of his friends Forrest and Miranda, he explicitly left the story of Little Peggy and the mysterious 'D' out of any wandering ear. She seemed like a good kid, David had thought. A bit brash and impulsive, but a lot were like that in the age she was in. Even David himself had a rebellious phase. (Explicitly one that involved his current love for Tequila.)

Certainly this could be a sign that the good Arcadia could bring for David, if more of the younger people here could be a bit more inclusive about the man's oddities. Not that he cared, but still it's a pleasant sight to behold. If only David were more receptive of Chloe's conversation about herself-the most of which he droned out as he focused on his coffee. Damn this was good coffee. Mild, but not bitter to the point where it destroyed his mouth. The sugar was an acceptable amount which made forcing down the flavor much more easier. This woman-Joyce, he remembered-knows her thing about coffee. Incredibly pleasant. As Chloe continued producing more white noise, David's lingering eyes focused on some of the photos and memorabilia/props that the diner had laid out. The age was definitely showing here. This place almost feels archaic in comparison to the other (admittedly old) businesses in the town. That distinct atmosphere of familiarity and comfort that he got from Forrest's apartment back in Boston. The inviting fluff of Peggy's wardrobe.

The bitter grasp of her crime scene. God he couldn't stop replaying it. But he had to. He had to accept the pas-

"DUDE." Chloe's tone changed from calm to that of an annoyed grunt before she had slugged the man in the arm with her fist. David turned around, almost jumping to the point where his coffee fell into his lap.

"Yeah?" David asked.

"You didn't listen to a damn thing I said, did you?" She prodded onto David, a hand on her cheek as she rested a shoulder on the counter. (A common irk that Joyce had of her conduct.)

"Oh. Uh. Sure I was." The detective lied.

"Then who's my best friend's name, then?" She asked with the same accusing tone. David's face after the question was still very blank, very unreadable. Something the young woman had picked up on very early as she talked to David. He was an incredibly difficult man to read. His body movements, facial expressions, the tone in his awful accent-the man was like a damned robot in comparison to every other person here. Even the comparisons to her stepfather made Madesn look like a bushel of flowers. David was hard-edge. Cold. To the point. Honest. Perhaps that's one of the reasons why she finds the ex-detective so fascinating.

David still stared at her blankly following her question.

"...Ah, weirdo? Earth to Young, you're too far in orbit." Chloe chimed.

"Why do you keep callin' me that? I have a name." David asked.

"HOLD ON. Don't you change the subject on me, dude." She caught the man in his wily twist of wording. "Answer my question, and I'll tell you why."

David's face still held strong to that stone-expression. He didn't listen to her at all, so he had to make something else up on the fly. If only he had his powers... But David hadn't 'time-hopped' in such a long time, he feared that his ability didn't work. Or worse, if it DID work it could severely alter the future again. HE didn't want that potential catastrophe on his hand, and not for some little guessing game. So, David had to resort to using his quick wit.

"_Holy shit I don't remember a damn thing. Okay, think; this is her ma's place, maybe she has something here like family photos or something. Okay...god, I can barely see anything in here with all of these missing posters of..._"

_"_Rachel...Amber?" David blurted out of his thoughts. He didn't mean to say that. The name was so focused in his eyes due to all of the wanted posters that it just slipped out.

But, thankfully, Chloe's expression changed back to her usual demeanor. "Huh. You were listening. Not bad, for a weirdo." Chloe spun around and stepped off the stool, giving a small stretch before motioning to the door. "Anywaaaaay, I have to bounce out. Got a meetup with another shmuck I 'socialize' with here in this slag-hole."

"But you didn't answer my question." David said. As her hand reached for the exit door, she turned to see if her mom was out of earshot before answering David's question.

"My step-dad's name is David too. So while you're here, and in such a close vicinity to my place? You're 'weirdo'. Just to avoid confusion. Cause let's face it, man-you stick out like a sore thumb in Arcadia." With that, she waved goodbye to the ex-detective and walked out of the door, her own sense of swagger shining in each step.

* * *

David Young had finished his main task of gathering furnishings for his new place, a task that proved itself to be quite easier than expected due to the assistance of the waitress, Joyce. She had given a call to the owner, (whom he had assumed was a friend of hers) and with a few bits of vague sweet-talking she had managed to swing a free delivery of his stuff to David. After driving there, introducing himself and picking what he wanted he had left with a sense of actual accomplishment for the day! All that was left was to...err...evening.

While the man mused on his next move, he had decided to leave his car parked adjacent from the local art school, Blackwell Academy. For a bit, he decided to walk around and get a proper understandings of the neighborhoods surrounding him. Nothing remarkable. Par for the course. Everything typical and in the green, which crafted a 'setting' of sort. A homely atmosphere, and David knows he could sure use some home. But not right now because David was bored.

"What the hell should I do now...?" He pondered, resting on the roof of his car. The day was done, and there was nothing to do for now and potentially tomorrow. Was this the future of his life? A life of faux leisure with no direction? Maybe it was time to start making friends here and getting to know the 'culture' of this town. But everyone was old. David had yet to reach his 30s (slowly edging to it at age 27.), what did he look like hanging around a bunch of old people? Granted Joyce was pleasant enough but he couldn't see himself being buddy buddy with her husband. (Who he hasn't met yet, nor does he look forward to judging by how abrasive Chloe seems to be about him.)

He also needed work. Certainly not anything in the 'protect and serve' field. Maybe he could be a teacher at that school? Self-defense? Psychology? ...Actually that was a plausible idea. A start. Potential to be something good for him.

David seemed to have his thoughts drift on Chloe a lot. For a young woman she managed to hold a very interesting conversation despite the excess profanity. In a lot of ways, the young delinquent was a lot like David; blunt, honest, passionate about herself (though David tries to keep that in when in public.). That same fire burned in David a long time ago, back in his early police years. At the same time, she was a troublemaker. A directionless delinquent that would eventually end up dead or drugged out of her mind. He couldn't do anything, cause he had just met the girl. "Not that I wanna be an influence..." If only he could use his powers again. He could re-do all of this. Find the moment in her life where it went bad, and slightly steer it in a positive directio-.

His train of thought was interrupted when a sharp pain entered his scar again. He pressed the two fingers to the scar in an attempt to ease it, sliding off of the car to land on his feet. The pains were getting more stronger, hitting harder than he's ever felt it. It was almost as if the bullet within the scar was pulsing. What the hell was going on? He shut his eyes, the dark abyss of the eyelids soon replaced by the same, vivid memories that he had when he woke up this morning. The same roaring, chaotic weather and the same, unknown voices calling to him not to let go.

"What...the hell...is with me!?" He groaned out, soon falling to his knees.

The pain would subside, but eventually after he had collapsed from the stress. Unable to see hear an alarm sound off and a rush of students running out of the academy.

* * *

**Chapter 3, while short, has been finished up. Please, review and criticize.**

**A reviewer has brought up the idea of 'pairings' and while the game's themes do support the ideas of 'older relationships' like with Max/Victoria and Mr. Jefferson, I'm going to steer away from having David with any romantic interest towards everyone. This isn't that kind of story.**


	4. Arousal

**For this chapter. The perspective is changing from Max, getting up and getting ready before the events of Episode 1 happens. **

* * *

Maxine Caufield was an unremarkable one. She tended to stick to her schoolwork and her small circle of people she believed to be her 'friends.' She avoided the popular students like the plague and usually stuck to her dorm room, studying or working on photos. Since her arrival in Arcadia Bay, her life was more or less an uneventful anomaly.

Then, the nightmares started. Every morning since the beginning of this week Max had been getting this bizarre vision of a raging tornado. In the dream, she would be walking through some unknown/unfamiliar forest and always the dream ended with the raging tornado on her left, and the crumbling lighthouse coming down onto her before the shock woke her from her sleep in a damp sweat. Every day these visions became more vivid and almost 'angry' in it's appearance, like something out of the _Disaster Report _games she used to play on PlayStation 2 with Chloe...

Chloe...

You'd find it hard to believe that the dreams aren't her worst worries, nor is the looming photography project she's been stuck with for a bit. It was the fact that she had moved back to her hometown, Arcadia, and her closest friend didn't even know that she came back let alone know that she was attending Blackwell. Max had figured that 'maybe she should settle in before seeing her again' but in the end she knew that it was a lie. She feared seeing Chloe again. Years of being away from her without no way of contacting her while she stayed in Seattle with her parents wasn't really a good note to leave on. Years wasted on not consoling the girl when her father passed away. Years that could've been spent growing up together.

_But I couldn't do anything. I was a just a kid._

Max looked at herself in the mirror of her dorm room. Ridden in the veil of a morning riser, she began the tiring process of slowly combing away the knotted curls and tussles of her hair. She didn't exactly feel up to the task of shaving and figured a proper rubbing of deodorant and enough toothpaste could feign the hygeneic routine for today. (Tomorrow, she swore.) Max didn't care for her short and plain mop of hair, and had always considered doing something unique with it. Maybe something stylistic. With lots of gel. Maybe something similar to her _Dungeons &amp; Dragons _character that she made a long time ago. She always had the same look since she was a kid, and she was an adult now. It was time for her to break out of her cocoon and be her own and independent woman. Just like Chloe.

"Just like Chloe..." Max muttered to herself briefly before setting her comb aside. What /did/ Chloe look like now? Obviously not the same, as she knew the only thing keeping her away from a pair of scissors was her dad. But things change, and maybe it was for the better she supposed.

Max grabbed her polaroid and her jacket, locking up her dorm room before venturing to her next class. As she walked down the hallway she noticed the faint sounds of a viola echoing through the hallway. That must've meant that her neighbor Kate should be practicing around this time. There was something...off about the tones of her viola; the pitch in sounds felt shaky and loose which was a far cry from Kate's usually disciplined tonal shifts and pitches. It could have been that Kate was having an off day, but if that were the case she would probably be up and out of her room jogging. This was definitely not part of her neighbor's usual routine.

Before approaching the door to Kate's room, Max was rudely walked into by her _other _Neighbor, Victoria Chase. Of all the selfish, egotistical and narcissistic individuals in the world, she /would/ had to have been her other neighbor. As Victoria continued strutting off to the shower heads Max would mutter a quiet mumble to herself, something along the lines of 'watch where you're going.' Of course, Victoria's ego got the best of her and she stopped at the end of the hall intersection to turn on her heel, treading towards Max with an unamused scowl.

"What the hell did you just say, hipster?" Victoria cawed from her oppressing beak. The viper and the doe, clashing once more with the winner looking to be the former.

"I didn't say anything." Max retorted. "But if I did, I would've told you to say 'excuse me' next time you walk into someone."

"Please. Rule number one in this dorm, bitch: /I'm/ in charge. It should've been second nature for you to not tread in my water. Now go stuff yourself somewhere else, and pray I'm not in the mood to go to class today."

With that, she returned max's upset face with the finger and strutted back off to the showerheads. Giving fake laughs and waves to the other attendees of the dormitory. Max sighed to herself once more. She was relived that it didn't escalate into anything more. People like Dana couldn't keep fighting for her against assholes like Victoria. At least she stood her ground...for the first 30 seconds.

_"God, I'm not normally this cowardly..." _Max thought to herself. If only Chloe were here...

"Max?" A small squeakish-sound came from behind Max. The photographer turned around to see an eye poking out from the creak of a door.

"Oh...sorry, Kate. Am I in the way?"

Emerging out of the door came a meek young woman about Max's age with her hair neatly wrapped in a bun. Though her face seemed rosy and uplifting enough, the tone of her eyes spoke another vision of exhaustion and sorrow. This was Kate in a nutshell.

"No, you're fine. I heard arguing. Are you okay?" Kate asked Max as she moved a hand to brush a strand of hair away from her face.

"Yeah, yeah I'm good. Just tired. I hate mondays, you know." Max replied back. Her mood was definitely lifting back to normal. "Well, let's walk to class together then?" Kate asked again. "It'll be nice to get there early. I wanted to ask Mr. Jefferson about our project."

"Actually, I..." Max choked up. She was planning to head straight to Joyce's diner (if it were still there.) and ask about Chloe. She was always having trouble with being blunt. "Sorry. Maybe tomorrow, okay Kate?"

Kate's expression dimmed. it almost looked like she was really depending on Max to say yes. "Nah, it's okay...maybe tomorrow. I understand; mondays, right?" After finishing her statement and forcing her look to be much more positive, the guilty party of Max sighed and tried to hug Kate goodbye. But Kate wasn't having it. She simply turned in the opposite direction to catch the eye of another dorm tenant.

_"I really fucked that up, huh..." _Max sighed, thinking to herself as she began to walk out of the dorm. _"Watching Back to the Future only makes me want to wish I /had/ a time traveling DeLorean. Or something smaller. Preferably a watch." _

The thought did enough to try and brighten Max up. Refitting the bag to her shoulder and fitting her earbuds into her head, she braced herself for the day-or week- ahead of herself and whatever came her way.

* * *

_So you say these mementos can make you 'jump' into the past?_

_ You're a cool guy, David. You're making Arcadia worth a damn these days._

_We could've saved her! /I/ could have saved her! That's the point of these powers, right?! To save people?!_

_ Max. Chloe. Don't follow me. There's an end here. Follow your own fate._

_We're leaving this fuckhole together, Max. One way or another. Even if this place is in shambles in the end._

_..._

_I didn't see you again either. Little Peggy._

* * *

**Yes. I am not dead, believe it or not. Midterms are done and I can focus on developing this more. I've already drafted some ideas on where this will go in the futrue. I'm really liking what I'm working with. **

**D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die has been announced for a Steam release, so I hope you Life is Strange fans will at least pick it up to experience it yourself. Let's Plays can't cover it. Do it for SWERY.**

**So this is the end to the prologue chapters. finally I can delve into chapter one. Kindly review and criticize.**


	5. Era Extraña

**I really, really think Victoria is cuter than sin and I want to make a small story based on her because she is cute. **

* * *

**Monday**

It was with the vibrance of a morning bell that woke David up from his pain-stricken state of unconsciousness. Everything at that moment was a washed out haze of exhaustion and blur, with his eyes slowly peeling themselves apart from their shuttered slumber. His hand reached for his jaw to knead out the kinks and pains, while the other placed itself on his car to lift him up unto his feet. Where was he again? Was he back in Boston, and this feeling of being far from home was but a dream? Those thoughts didn't get a chance to ponder by the time the summer-end aroma rushed into his nostrils. He was still in Arcadia Bay.

David hadn't had headaches like these since Little Peggy's murder. These 'headaches' were like premonitions to him, and with every surge of pain within his skull something out of the ordinary would occur. Most of the time those out of the ordinary occurrences would be him ending up in a completely different place, in a completely different time. He hated these feelings, it felt as if he was out of control of his 'quirk'. But, David didn't have this quirk anymore so maybe it was just another headache that overwhelmed the guy.

David leaned on his car to catch his bearings, viewing the student body of Blackwell flood through to the schoolyards after the alarm rung momentarily. The mixed chiming of confused delight and relief brought David back to his younger years as a student himself, though the memories of that age were vague and fuzzy. He remembered having braces. He didn't know Peggy yet, either. Otherwise what he actually 'did' in high school was simply white noise. Maybe it was better that way.

A minute would pass before the entirety of the school population evacuated out of the school, the last student being a young girl emerging out with a confused look on her face. She looked scrawny. David switched his attention immediately to someone else instead, as the scrawny looking girl just seemed boring to her. Shifting his vision to the left, he saw a couple of familiar faces; the two girls he had met at the Gas Station when arriving to Arcadia Bay. Victoria and...someone else. Courtney? Eh, that was probably her name. They still looked like assholes, so David turned his sight again to someone else in that crowd of students.

Skateboarders. Probably delinquents. Pass.

Some young man lounging in front of a tree. Was he meditating? Who the hell meditates in this age? Pass.

A young girl started walking down the stairs. Her mouth was locked into a mix of a frown and anger, while her eyes were deep rooted in exhaustion and sadness. A compliment to her current attire despite the odd 'cross' sticking out around her neck. Child of god? That's always fun. She was heading in the same direction as Victoria and her 'entourage', however taking a completely separate path. Was she...avoiding contact? Was she avoiding them? Well, David would assume that he'd do the same at her age.

David stepped away from his car and walked across the street, putting on a 'face' to hide his real intentions to the girl he was approaching. "Excuse me!" David began with a wave of his hand to the girl across the street. "I'm looking for the principal of this place, kid. Do you mind lending me a hand?"

The girl stopped in her tracks, turning over to see David walking across the street. She never saw this man before at all in her time living in town. She did hear some murmurs from the students regarding someone new that moved in, and considering how small town was in the first place it wouldn't take long for rumors to grow. (She knew from experience.) So she gave the man the benefit of doubt, and her face switched up from her frown to a smile in her attempt to be as friendly as possible.

David, finally crossing the street (he stopped in his tracks due to a sudden flash of light that was aimed in his direction.) extended an arm out to shake. "Sorry for buggin' you, kid. I'm a bit late for an interview here. If you could direct me to the dean or principal or whatever, I'd really appreciate it."

The girl turned to point at the front doors of Blackwell, stating; "Just walk through there. His office should be on the right."

"Really? Thanks, ki-Oh! Sorry, should've introduced myself." David now had to think of a lie on the spot just to make sure she didn't catch on to his ulterior motives. "David Young."

She still didn't shake his hand, so the entire engagement between the two was a very awkward display for any unnecessary eyes viewing them. "I-It's Kate. Sorry, I really should be going, Mr. Young." She continued walking in the same direction she was going. _"Damn, she really didn't want to shake my hand..._" David thought to himself.

"I look forward to teaching you, Kate!" He exclaimed. The exclamation was to throw off any snoopers listening in. Hastily, he walked up the stairs that lead into the main yard of the Academy, subconsciously avoiding the oncoming skater that was on his phone and ignoring the woman with fliers trying to catch his attention. Why was he going in the school? This wasn't part of his plan, but he couldn't shake off the sensation of someone watching him. Peering, uncomfortable eyes that knew David's 'true' intentions. Things were coming to a slow in David's mind, voices around him becoming low drolls of monotony. He was out of his comfort zone. Everyone was an obstacle.

David walked into the Blackwell doors and his view snapped to the bathroom. That was it. That's the source of the 'peering eyes' looking into him. David placed two fingers to the bullet lodged in his head trying to gauge the situation a bit better.

He felt the same sensation. The familiar tingle within his body that let him open the door to the past. Whatever was in that bathroom was something that was igniting David's uncanny quirk.

That bathroom had a memento.

**Earlier that Monday**

"Shit. Shit. Shit." Max cursed to herself as she stood at the bus stop. She was waiting for the bus to come so it could take her on over to Joyce's diner, in hopes that Max would see both her and Chloe again. But she was getting cold feet again. Why was she outside this early? Did the buses even ride out this early, and would they even take her this far? Did Joyce want to see her? She knew Chloe would probably be pissed at her, but would she be too?

Wait, what was she thinking? Sure her husband died but there was nothing Max could do. She was a kid, a confused one at that who was slowly losing the bond she shared with her best friend. Why was she thinking like this, like the world was out to get her in some sort of insane way?

_"People make mistakes, Max." _She thought to herself. "_But...shit, I can't be out here like this. I'd probably faint from the pressure. Now I let Kate down for no reason..." _If only she could rewind time. It really is the most valuable thing, in the grand scheme of things. So, she turned around and walked back up the stars to the academy courtyard, deciding to not skip class and make her way to her first scheduled classes. She really didn't want to see Mr. Jefferson today, but hiding in her dorm was the last thing she wanted to do-just reeked of vulnerability, and that's the last thing she wanted anyone in that place to know. Especially Victoria.

She made her way to Mr. Jefferson's class relatively early, the only person being there is - surprise - Victoria. She was on her tablet, thankfully so maybe she could sneak past the bitch and make it to the back end of the classroom-far enough out of Mr. Jefferson's eye, and so that Kate won't notice her immediately. Class wouldn't start for another fifteen minutes or so, thus Max decided to browse some things on her phone. The occasional email check, updates on this gaming forum she frequented (she loved the off-topic / Dungeons &amp; Dragons threads), checking her Amazon orders and the occasional selfie with her polaroid. Use it, or lose it after all.

Time progressed and soon enough more students began to fill in the room. The addition of a part of Victoria's entourage was enough for Max to know that she should keep her head down. She reached for the hood of her jacket and hid it over her face, convientely missing Kate walk into the class with the same troubled expression she had met with her prior to coming to school. Not like she was brave enough to even consider 'talking' to Kate after ditching her.

This was going to be a long class.

**/Later that Monday,/**

"And...you say you were in the women's bathroom for?" A man, likely in his 30s, asked the current David Young who was leaning against the wall. This man had very nice, very /expensive/ glasses. The kind off glasses that made David very, very annoyed. The sign of of too much money with too little purpose.

"I was in the bathroom because I was looking for the fire alarm." David replied, monotonously. The master liar was at work. "David Young; I'm a cop, and I just wanted to look in the department's 'prank' accusation." David reached to his pocket to reveal his wallet, the same badge he had when he was in the Boston Police Department was sewn nicely onto the front.

"Boston Police Department?" The glasses wearing man questioned. "Did you recently transfer here?"

"Yeah. First couple of days here in town, figured I get in touch with the locals before looking for a real job before retiring." David had this man in the palm of his hands, how fitting that small town shmucks would believe the sultry words of a city slicker.

The glasses man extended a hand for a handshake, "Oh! Am I impeding in your investigation then? I apologize-fire alarms are still really foreign to me. I'm Mark. Mark Jefferson."

"...Oh. I've heard of that name before, actually." David /really/ didn't, he just took the photos outside on the courtyard for reference. "Photographer, right? I've seen some of your work. Well-my wife did. I'm not too big on the 'art' scene."

Jefferson smiled in the way people would smile when they're talking very highly of you; smug, and satisfied. "You flatter me, honestly. Please, don't let me keep up too much of your time. I have to wrangle my students for my next class. Another time, officer." With that, Jefferson got in another handshake with David and went on his way.

Sucker.

David waited for the teacher/photographer to get out of his line of sight, and hastily reached over for the photo that was left in the girl's bathroom. It was a photo of that same 'scraggly' girl who was seen last to come out of the school once the alarm rung. The haste must've made her leave the photo here after she... _"Was fleeing from destroying the fire alarm."_

He was in his investigative phase. He took in the scene of the crime quite easily, as he didn't expect this 'kid' to be quick with cleaning up her crime. Though, she couldn't have been the only one here at the time. There were signs of a struggle-the knocked over trash can and the variety of muddy shoe-puddles were a telltale sign. David could see...maybe two other people in here-one wearing boots. Female boots likely. Then there were these sneakers. They could've been...male? The base feet size were definitely that of a male.

He was all going by probabilities, but this is what he knew so far;

This scraggly girl was here for a reason. Maybe she was talking to another girl. Then, this 'guy with the sneakers' barged in, and knocked one of the girls into the trash can. Maybe it was some sort of scrape. But why didn't the scraggly girl-who probably wasn't involved in said scrape-

Click. David heard a murmur from the other side of the door. He didn't want to be seen, so he did the best he could do-hide in one of the stalls, fake his best' girly voice' and wait out any intruder impeding in his investigation. (His unofficial investigation.)

_"_That bitch Chloe had someone else in here! She had to-she had this shit set up!" The other person-a young man- said as they barged into the women's bathroom out of sight of any other passerby. David knew that voice. He couldn't put his finger on the name, however-he was never really good with names. Started with an N. He could've peaked through the cracks and saw this person's face, but he was already in too deep and another lie would've made the situation worse. David was nervous, so nervous that the photo in his hand slipped out and landed back onto the floor outside of the stall.

And this /person/ grabbed it. He picked it up, inspected it and dropped it back on the floor, likely to avoid any further suspicion onto him. "I'd figure that quiet bitch was in her pants." He murmured, hurrying his way out of the bathroom. With his information found, he had no reason to linger in the bathroom any longer.

David Young; too much luck to his name. But now he had a confirmation that another man was in here. As well as the name of the other girl he had met earlier today-Chloe. Did this boy tried to attack her? She seemed like a delinquent, but not enough for other people to fight in seclusion.

But what should David do, anyway? What /could/ he do? A guy with no relation to anyone here except the one, blue haired punk he met by chance couldn't possibly sway anyone into believing him, no matter how good of a liar he was. Then he remembered the photo. This photo was a memento. It had that same strength-the strength that was weighty enough to propel him into the past. He could get some better work done there. But why did the memento rear it's ugly face here? In this town? Was it a sign of 'D'? It couldn't be-D didn't exist. David didn't want to go back to this. He wasn't a cop anymore.

But what else was there to /do/ here?

"_Down the rabbit hole I go..." _David thought. After picking up the photo and looking intently into it to try and open it's door, his sight went blank.

Then it re-emereged to the view of the sky. The sky was so beautiful. The clashing sunset against the bright, blue hues of the world, not a blot of cloud guarding the sun. It was serene. Where was he? Was he...dead? No, not dead. Something else.

Before he could put his finger on it, David ended up crashing back-first into the nose of a pick-up truck and window.

* * *

**So begins Monday. Here's where we are for our two time-traveling weirdos.**

**David: Arrives in Arcadia, Met Victoria and her Entourage, Met Nathan, Forgets Nathan's name, Moves in, NEXT DAY: Goes to Joyce's diner, Meets Chloe; finds her amusing, leaves diner to pick up stuff for his new place, passes out in front of his car; parked in front of Arcadia, wakes up, meets Kate; lies to her to get inside school, goes into Bathroom and grabs photo, discovers photo is a memento for time traveling, Meets Jefferson; lies to make him go away goes back into bathroom, investigates, deduces that this 'scraggly kid' and some other kids; likely a girl and an intruding man were in a scrape and this scraggly kid probably set off the fire alarm, ? re-enters the bathroom, David hides; finds out that Chloe was in here and was likely attacked., Travels ...somewhere in time, gets hit by a car.**

**Max: Pre-LiS exposition seen in her journal, declines Kate's offer to walk to class to go to Joyce's diner, gets yelled at by Victoria, at bus stop to diner; chickens out and goes back to class, LiS Episode 1 events up to her breaking the fire alarm walking back to her dorm.**

**I know the pacing of time is really weird here, but if any one has any questions of inconsistencies, please point them out so they can be fixed in future chapters.**

**David's 'hands off' stuff with interacting with the LiS cast is, in no way affecting the traditional chain of events that happened in the game. It's something I'm trying to prevent. **

**Kindly review and criticize.**


	6. Wild Nothing

**Wow, I haven't updated this in a while. Here's some stuff. **

* * *

"Holy shit, Chloe did you just hear that?!"

"Probably just a bird or something. Stop freaking out."

"Chloe, I really think that was way too big to be a bird!"

"Uh, news flash; the birds here are fucking huge, Max. All they do is eat and shit to the over-feeding old peopl-"

"JUST PULL THE FUCKING VAN OVER, CHLOE."

* * *

It was the sudden jerk of the truck that caused David to stir from his unconscious state with his head sliding into the backend of the truck with a loud 'thunk!' sound accompanying it. David's aged and exhausted eyes began to peel apart from their sealing, eyes glued to the now golden sunset. The day was nearly over. Where the hell did the memento take him too? After catching his bearing with his head David lifted himself up with his hands, sitting upwards to find himself in front of the garage of his house. His house as in, 'his house', the same house that he bought, stocked and left before going on this bizarre spelunking adventure.

"This doesn't make any sense. The memento didn't take me 'back', it just jumped me forward! Not that this hasn't happened before..." David pursed his lips in confusion, looking back to his watch. It was damn near seven already. Who's truck was this anyway? David could swore just by the look of it that it was somewhat familiar-notably how dirty and archaic the design of the pickup was. David gave the truck a kick in it's backload with the ball of his foot. Rickety too. Still he couldn't put a finger on who it belonged too.

"Yo! Stop smashing up my ride, David." A familiar voice griped to David's ear. David turned a head to see the girl he had met at the diner today; Chloe. Chloe, along with some scrawny looking girl about her age standing next to her looking more worried than she did. David's bored expression for Chloe made him turn his vision to the scrawny girl; there was something about her eyes that he couldn't put his finger on what made them so odd. The constant shifting toward's Chloe's expressive words, the shyness in her face and her standing/moving patterns. The fact that she looked so very... 'placeholder' to David only made her oddities shine even more. Sadly, David's focus was interrupted with Chloe snapping her fingers in his face.

"Don't do that." David shot immediately. "How did I end up here? More importantly, how did you two find me?"

"Once you explain how you ended up in the sky and falling like a fucking meteor, then sure weirdo." She responded with a bit of snark in her tone. "Hell I'll explain the whole damn nitty gritty about this to my friend over here." She folded her arms, looking to Max with that same eye of frustration that she gave her mother in the diner. After she was finished, the scrawny girl finally began to speak up, moving herself to meet eye-connection with David.

"It might be weird, but...you seriously were just 'flying' in the sky. David, right? Chloe objected, but we should seriously get you to a hospital."

"Max, chill." Chloe retorted to 'Max', the latter just gave a frustrated sigh at Chloe's inability to understand the urgency of the situation. "He's cool. He took the fall like a total boss. Right, David?" The moment she turned her sight back to David, Chloe (and Max) noticed the man now standing in the backload of the pickup truck. He was padding his pockets down as if he was looking for something.

"Did I drop my cigarettes?" David asked, the question making Chloe immediately go down her pockets to reveal a neatly packed cigarette carton before handing it to the ex-detective. "So...why did you have these, kid?"

"Does a dead guy need cigarettes?" Chloe mused, causing Max to sigh into the palm of her hand.

"So you were graverobbing me?"

"Graverobbing's so 20th century, dude. Think of it like recycling. You were done being used, so now I was making a use out of you!...r stuff."

"Jeez, Chloe." Max managed to actually get a chuckle out of Chloe's joke, while David only smirked at the girl looking at the lighter aspect of his potential injury. She was an alright kid, through and through so he at least appreciated her effort. David jumped off of the truck and began the walk to his door, not before turning around to meet the two young girls again.

"Get your junk out of my garageway kid. I'm headin' to bed; I'll see you two kids tomorrow at school." Max rose a brow at David's last comment, the curiosity making her move up a step.

"You work at Blackwell?" She asked.

"I start tomorrow." David lied, of course. He didn't even talk to the principal to even arrange such a feat. "Psychology."

"But there's already a psychology teacher. I mean, she went on vacatio- Oh. You're a substitute?"

David's luck shone on him once again! "...Sure." With this new bit of knowledge in mind, David had to make it a priority to keep up views with the girl at school in order to maintain a bit of cover for his 'investigation.' Max's expression seemed to had softened enough for her to reach for the side of her backpack, grabbing her Polaroid. She aimed the camera at David who was moving over to his cigarette for an inhale. At that right moment of the inhale, Max had snapped the picture of David. Unbeknowst to her, Chloe had jumped into the girl's shot for a photobomb, both of her middle fingers risen high behind David.

"Dammit, Chloe." Max sighed, setting aside the Polaroid. "That was a good shot, too."

"Yeah? Well now it's even better with me in it. I'm sure David won't mind, right?" Chloe had turned her direction to the smoking man, but he was already opening the door to his home and walking inside, not even paying attention to the duo.

"You think he's gonna be okay, Chloe?" Max asked. Chloe gave a shrug of her shoulders and turned back around to her truck.

"Hell if I know. Come on, I gotta get my ride out of his driveway."

* * *

An hour had passed since David was dropped off unceremoniously by Chloe and her friend Max. An hour passed and David still couldn't shake the amount of questions he had for the screw-up of his time traveling. David had sat on the new couch that was crookedly sat inside of his living room, the sound of his rear cushioning against the plastic wrapping of the couch echoing through the still relatively empty home. Cigarette butts and empty bottles of water and Tequila littered around his feet. He was hunched over the new coffee table that complimented his couch, going over the same files he had kept regarding his quirk. The folder was molding a bit, some of the materials inside sitting for a couple of years, now. Blood samples, bodily fluids, natural species etc. all related to David's bizarre ability. Still unexplained.

This was the only time where the 'unexplained' became the 'unpredictable.' He wasn't in control of the mementos anymore.

With David so focused into his work, he completely ignored the passing time-the sounds of arguing across the street, wheels from a vehicle hastily speeding off into the opposite direction and the crackles and booms of an oncoming thunderstorm.

That's when David brushed past the image of himself at a younger age and of his wife, Peggy. David took the time out of his trance to look at the image. A grim reminder of a happier past.

"_It was her birthday that day."_

_"...man, I gained a bit of weight."_

_"I think I chickened out on the proposal that day..."_

David sighed and tucked the photo back into the pocket of his shirt, then leaning back into the couch with eyes focused on the outside window. David stared blankly into the falling snow, wondering where his next path of his investigation should lead. Tomorrow, he would have to convince the principal of Blackwell to fulfill his next prerogative. Getting within the school and finding more mementos for him to use. There's something obviously ominous about this town, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

Wait.

Why was it _snowing _in this time of the year?

* * *

**I croaked this out, mostly because I wanted to get an update out very quickly. Backlog grinding and other things (like Episode 3's fucking bizarre outcome like what the fuck was that) keeping me occupied from going on with this.**

**Tomorrow is the Episode 2 events! **

**Kindly review and criticize.**


	7. BIBLE

**Did you know, the titles of my chapters are music references? I like Music. **

**Anyway let's begin episode 2. **

* * *

_"It's just a sound beating of my lobes."_

* * *

_The sky was burdened with the color of grey, Arcadia Bay's shoreline vista covered by the dense and murky fog slowly beginning to set it. David stood utop a hill, adjacent from him an aged lighthouse. Instead of his usual suspender-based attire, David was instead covered in a red raincoat. The entire scene could be considered 'grim' but the delightfully odd aura that always resonated from David insisted on keeping him on profile as the sore thumb. David tried his hardest to flare up another cigarette but the winds and the soon to come rain was hindering all of his attempts. Ultimately, he cursed under his breath and stowed away the lighter and the cigarette and deciding to sit on the lighthouse bench. _

_As David sat, he couldn't help but notice a muddy flyer under his rear flapping it's way out. He plucked the paper away from the bench and took time to decipher the muddy and ink-drained words. "End of the World?" David thought. "Jeez, these kids are morbid."_

_Then again, with the sudden snowfall it had to be a sign. Everything in this town had to be a sign. The snow. The headaches. The dreams. Those two kids Max and Chloe. Slowly but surely, pieces were beginning to form together whether David wanted them to or not. _

_'D' was here. Probably. _

_Okay, maybe not 'D' but dammit, something strong enough to be connected to 'D'._

_David threw the flyer out into the air, watching it flutter and bend against the slowly increasing winds. Descending down to the water from that cliff must've been deadly. For that brief moment David had looked down at the cliff and it was as if everything just froze in time. Reality slowly setting in. Paper and water suddenly freezing and place, like David's life had been reforming right into his eyes._

_...wait a minute._

* * *

**Earlier that day...**

Surprisingly David was already up long before his alarm clock went off. He was dressed in a 'brown' variation of his usual attire, the bright yellow tie donned with little video game sprites a contrast from his generally dull colors. He walked down the stairs and hastily combed his hair, taking a moment to look at the door mirror at his clean-shaven face and mustache. For a moment the early eyes fooled David into thinking he was 'young.' Daresay, attractive?

"Well, this would've been a killer conversation starter with Forrest." David muttered aloud. Before exiting out, he took a quick swig of the tequila bottle he had left out last night and stuck a piece of mint gum in his mouth. Truly, he was ready for the day! ...However, he sure wasn't ready for the rude slamming of a door from across the street. This time it wasn't the blue haired rebel he had met yesterday. This was a man probably in David's age range. A security officer outfit going against the man's very stiff and focused walking patterns. Former cop? Soldier? David was a bit curious, but he didn't want to bother with an annoyed guy his age especially at this time of day.

Sadly, he couldn't stop the man from seeing David walk to his car. "Hey, you!" He yelled from across the street. Who yells in public? Weirdos, that's who. David turned to the man and decided to walk to the sidewalk instead of walking across the street to greet the rude looking man. Completely disinterested, David blew a bubble with his gum before he spoke back.

"Oh. Hello. You must be Chloe's father."

"Yeah and 'you' must be the man my wife and daughter met at the diner yesterday." He responded with a hint of annoyance in his tone. "David Young, yeah?" David simply gave a nod and moved his hand to the carkey, pressing a button to unlock the doors. Hopefully he would catch the drift and buzz off.

"'Professor' David Young." He lied. "Pleased to meet you, sir."

"Awkward ah, naming aside; I'm David Madsen. I suppose I should be giving you a welcome." How /dare/ this guy have the same name that David has?! Had he no shame? No dignity to find his own clever name? David's lips pursed at the same-naming. Surely, this man had to be some sort of asshole.

"Maybe next time. I gotta...get to the school." David pressed another button on his car-key, knowingly enabling the 'neutral' on his car. The garage was slightly sloped enough for the car to slowly and unnoticeably roll backwards. "How's about we chat with a drink afterwards? You work at Blackwell, yeah?" Madsen smirked. Finally-some genuine recognition from someone that wasn't school staff or one of the brain-headed students.

"I might have to take you up on that offer! After I get these damn cameras installed in the school." With that, Madsen had walked to his truck to enter while giving a farewell salute to David. That actually went much smoother than David had expected; this Madsen fellow had departed without any fuss, and he could go to the school with hopefully little questions asked. Then it dawned on David; why weren't these people asking any questions in regards to David's blatant, obvious lies? What would David have to do in order to get through that 'Mark' fellow after lying to him? Was the principal as gullible as the rest of the older persons in this town?

Sadly, those questions would have to wait for now as David's car had rolled in the middle of the street.

* * *

The duo of Max Caulfield and Chloe Price were leaving Joyce's diner and heading to Chloe's fabled 'hangout' spot for the two to hide away from the bullshittery of school. If there's one thing Chloe had been annoyed so far in regards to Max is her incessant desire to photograph EVERYTHING along the way. Sure, she didn't mind when outside walking with her friend but in the case of driving, the OCD of the rebel was beginning to enable flinching with each flash from her (father's) Polaroid. Still, Max was enjoying herself so she couldn't complain.

But why would she complain? Her best friend was a fucking time-travelling _badass! _A modern-age Marty McFly or Time Lord, and Chloe was at her side as Max's 'Doc Brown' or TARDIS. (Actually when she made that analogy to Max, she suggested that Chloe was more of a 'Biff Tannen'.) The shit they could do together, the shit they /will/ do together. Heisting, fleeing the country, finding Rachael and do some more Heisting...Rachael.

Then, it hit Chloe; How did Max feel about Chloe replacing her with Rachael? Was Max upset? Actually, did she have a right to be upset? Chloe believed that she was actually in the right this time; Max abandoned her for god knows how long after the unfortunate loss of her Father. Why should she care about Max's feelings when it was obvious that she wasn't considerate of hers? She didn't even apologize...

This was selfish. There was bigger shit going down that was mroe important than a petty bitterness that consumed Chloe over time. She had to accept that her best friend was back home, and with this new power the duo could actually get some effort into finding Rachael.

The duo of Max Caulfield and Chloe Price were leaving Joyce's diner and heading to Chloe's fabled 'hangout' spot for the two to hide away from the bullshittery of school. If there's one thing Chloe had been annoyed so far in regards to Max is her incessant des-

"Watch where you're driving, you're gonna crash into a family of Ducks." Max chimed in, face flushed in nervousness and sweat. Chloe's brow rose at how exasperated Max was but once she saw the approaching ducks crossing the street, she stopped the truck almost immediately.

"Did...you rewind time again?" Chloe asked..

"Yep. Ducks gotta live too, Alfred." Max replied in her best imitation of a gravely _Bruce Wayne _esque tone. Chloe grinned, it was outrageous how she could just do that and she wouldn't even know! The things that Max could do... Chloe shook _those _thoughts away and played along with Max's little charade.

"Oh, yes yes Batwoman. Mind the ducks and all that." She couldn't help but snicker. "i swear, I better get some cool powers too. Like you read those old _The Darkness _comic books way back when?"

"Oh god." Max groaned, the memory of the two sifting through her father's crummy comic book collection coming back to her. "Your dad had some of the _worst _comics. I mean, who reads _The Darkness? The Goon? Body Bags? Sandman?"_ Chloe slapped Max's head playfully, resuming driving after the ducks crossed.

"You keep that blasphemy out of your mouth, Max. Neil Gaiman is a savant. Seriously; re-read _Sandman_ it's fucking next-level. Better than the drabble that the school feeds you." Max rubbed the back of her head, the smile on her face refused to go away. Chloe was an absolute blast to be around again even if she were a bit rough on the edges. Max was the straight man to Chloe's wild hellion nature, and honestly she couldn't have it any better. Oh, Kate would've loved her...

Shit. Kate. Max had completely ignored Kate's call once they were in the diner because of Chloe's insistence. Kate was having an awful day-first that Victoria harassing her and putting her private life all on display for everyone to see (thankfully she erased the url from the mirror.), then her relatives damnning her to Hell-nevermind Max's religious beliefs. Kate was the sweetest girl in school, it was absolutely hideous at how she was being treated. She tried texting back and lieing that her reception went dark, but she decided against it. The last thing Kate needed was a liar of a friend right now.

"Chloe...? Can I ask you something?" Max said softly, setting aside the Polaroid in her backpack.

"Yo yo, what it is?" Chloe obliged in listening. "Make it quick, I wanna put in some jams." Max sighed and explained the issue to Chloe regarding Kate and her harassment. Max noticed Chloe's hands tightening on the steering wheel. She knew she had bad blood with Nathan so obviously that had to extend out to that bitch Victoria.

"Dude. Here's what we're gonna do? We're gonna get Kate, we're gonna jump Victoria. Then YOU'RE gonna rewind, and we're gonna do it again. ...Then you'll rewind, and we can...I don't know, call that David guy?"

"Chloe we're not going to abuse my quirk like that." Max said flatly.

"Quirk? What are you, a mutant now!? The Amazing X-Max?" Okay, that one was pretty good.

"Time-rewinding gives me gnarly headaches Chloe. It's just...I wanna use this as sparingly as possible." Chloe sighed and patted Max's head. "Besides, what would that David even do?"

"He's a cop! Thankfully not one tied down by the bullshit Fuzz in Arcadia. He could whip some sense into Victoria real quick y'know?"

"You seem to have a lot of trust in him, Chloe." Chloe stopped in her thought before pulling up to the junkyard.

"Well? He...he seems genuine. Like you. Like Kate. Genuine. I like Genuine."

* * *

"I'm sorry, 'Professor' Young but even if your credentials were extraordinary I couldn't possibly add you into the substitute roster so suddenly." Principal Ray Wells said to David. The two were sitting in his office as Principal Wells went over his resume. While impressed by David's (fake) accolades, he couldn't help but shake that air of uncertainty about the new arrival to Arcadia being admant on working here of all places. But, David was persistent.

"Listen, guy; I just moved here and instead of being cooped up in a house alone I wanted to...give back to a community that's been really helpful in settling me down here. From the older folk to even the kids that attend this school. It'd be a privilege to even serve, hell I'd even do half of the substitute pay!" While half pay did sound pleasing to Ray, it was the principle of the matter that was keeping David-this newcomer- from a job already preferable to an entourage of people with similar credentials and 'experience.'

"Look, at most I could give you a position as a physical education teacher but even then the one we have now is just fine! I'm sorry, David."

David /really/ couldn't take no for an answer. He needed a gimmick to get him back on the good graces quick. His eyes quickly darted around the office, looking for something that he could use to peck away at Ray's iron wall. Photos of colleagues, reccomendations from the Oregon Board of Education, documents and envelopes from something that David made out as a 'Prescott-'

Bingo.

"Well, ah. I understand sir." David stood up from his chair and gave Ray a firm handshake before walking to the door. "Shame, I'll have to tell that Nathan boy that the plans didn't exactly fall through as expected." And, like clockwork, Ray's face went from stern to nervous. David had hit the soft spot.

"N-Now now, Mr. Young. Maybe...maybe there is something that we could work out. But...sigh, if I were to give you the position would you be willing to do the half-pay?" Ray asked of him.

"Sure. It's only for the week and by then your guy should be back, yeah?" Beneath's David's blank expression lied a face well capable of deception.

'Professor' Young will have to do for now.

* * *

**Big update for you here! Kindly, review and criticize. **


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